Nice report Garry. I enjoyed the read and the photos. Stunning scenery as usual. We must go to Ireland one day.

The Irish economy is front page news in the UK. I hope they sort it out soon. Like elsewhere, too much public expenditure.

November 15th, 2010 at 12:45 pm

Chriswrote:

Wow! Really dramatic photographs, Garry. (Do you get bored of reading that sort of comment?) The later ones look both beautiful and bleak at the same time.

I always imagined that I would cycle to my cousin's house in Bristol and stay there for a bit. I never did, and I probably never will now. I think it must give a rather warm feeling to have part of your family cycle so many miles to your home.

November 15th, 2010 at 8:38 pm

Garry Leewrote:

Not dramatic photos, Chris. Dramatic scenery. Parts of the West of Ireland are like the West of Scotland, pretty impressive. Scotland has bigger scenery, Ireland, being further south has better colour! England has of course stunning places like Yorkshire, the Peak District and the Lake District as well as fabulous towns like Durham etc.

November 15th, 2010 at 10:14 pm

Hilarywrote:

Those photos of Sheffrey Pass look stunning. As you say, very like the west of Scotland – I'd have been sure that was Scotland! I've been meaning to cycle in Ireland since I went on a family holiday in 1975! Must get there one day.

November 15th, 2010 at 10:29 pm

Patrickwrote:

Let's not forget Wales. The Welsh landscape is outstanding. Something else that distinguishes Ireland, Scotland, England, and Wales (and the Isle of Man as part of the British Isles) is the buildings dotted over the countryside. They are different in each country and add character. I haven't seen many painted as colourfully as the Irish ones!

November 15th, 2010 at 10:43 pm

Kernwrote:

Ah, Garry, memories, memories ... I'm particularly tickled that you took the shortcut! Mary and I definitely cast our vote for Ireland as one of the best places to cycle, based on our tour this spring. Excellent.

November 16th, 2010 at 10:54 am

Garry Leewrote:

I took this shortcut for the first time about 8 years ago. It's a nice ride as well!

November 16th, 2010 at 3:27 pm

Nicole Broderickwrote:

I want to do this tour very much, as my ancestors come from this area (you've mentioned Dáithí Ó'Bruadair in this post). I actually found this while searching for more information on my ancestors (unrelated to a cycling search, but what a serendipitous world this is – as I am very big on cycling, do it almost every day!) I heard Ireland was a good place to cycle, I have wondered if I could cycle the area my ancestors came from. This would be the ultimate experience for me! Thank you so much for sharing!

November 8th, 2014 at 4:16 am

Kernwrote:

Hi Nicole. My wife and I did this tour in 2010 (with good advice from Garry). In my humble opinion, you can't go wrong with this ride – it was one of the most enjoyable tours we have done. Go for it!